Insomnia Tips
Here you will find my favorite insomnia tips for those of you suffering from sleeping problems, as I know how frustrating it can be to stay in bed for hours not being able to fall asleep.
This is probably OK for a couple of nights, but imagine having the same problem every single night!
With anything from a few days to years of sleepless nights, insomnia is reported to affect 30% of adults in the world, with potentially serious consequences affecting relationships, productivity at work and causing health problems.
Stress due to work, personal or health problems, grief– death of a loved one, divorce or job loss may cause insomnia, and need to be dealt with first.
Chronic insomnia may cause accidents while driving, can decrease work productivity and impair concentration.
Please also be aware that six and a half hours is the minimum sleep requirement but some may need less and some more.
Now let’s have a look at these insomnia tips, some of which may well work for you:
Best Insomnia Tips:
• First of all, try and understand what your problem is and what is causing the sleepless nights. It is going to be so much more difficult to overcome your problem if you don’t understand why it is happening in the first place. And it is probably best to take a holistic rather than a drug-based approach.
• A light snack such as a wholemeal sandwich with low fat cheese, tomato and lots of lettuce right before bed rather than a heavy meal in the evening is reported to work for many.
• Sleeping time is sleeping time and it should not be used for worrying and thinking about daily problems. Try and keep your mind blank when you are in bed.
• Use ear plugs to minimize noise. I find that listening to my own breathing by using ear plugs rather than outside noise helps me sleep easily.
• Shut the curtains and minimize the light in the room, sleep in the dark.
• Make sure your room is ventilated and cooler than other rooms in the house and that your mattress and pillow are comfortable.
• Practice meditation or yoga regularly. I have been practicing kundalini yoga for a couple of years and highly recommend it. Yoga not only improved my sleep quality but also helped me in many other ways.
• Get help if you are suffering from depression as depression can affect your sleeping very badly.
• Try listening to relaxation or meditation music while going to sleep.
• Have a warm bath before bed to relax the muscles but just don’t overdo it.
• Drink a glass of warm milk with honey, a cup of chamomile, anise or fennel tea or even a malted drink like Horlicks before bed.
• Eat healthy meals every day and exercise regularly to feel better, reduce stress and improve your sleep quality.
• Set yourself a schedule, try and go to bed around the same time every day to keep your internal body clock on track.
Insomnia Tips- What Not To Do:
• Avoid taking naps of more than 10 to 15 minutes -although naps can be quite powerful- to be able to sleep properly at night.
• Do not exercise right before bed as it releases stimulating chemicals to your brain. Exercising late in the afternoon is reported to help sleeping well at night though.
• Do not stay in bed awake trying to sleep for too long. This will make you more and more frustrated. If you can’t sleep, get up and watch TV, read a book or browse the net for no more than half an hour. Trying to sleep is a major thing that will keep you awake for hours.
• Don’t go to bed if you are wide awake and not ready for bed.
• Avoid coffee, coke, chocolate, cigarettes, soft drinks and alcohol asnicotine, caffeine and alcohol are major sleep inhibitors.
• Alcohol is a diuretic and If you drink a few hours before bed, you will end up making a few trips to the toilet at night so avoid alcohol in the evening.
• Avoid heavy, oily and spicy meals in the evening. Stick to dairy, whole grains, turkey, banana, fish, nuts and complex carbohydrates as they encourage the release of serotonin and tryptophan in your body.
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